Griechische Sagen: Perseus/Transcript
English translation of Italian Narrator: Thousands of years ago, Greece, and more precisely the Peloponnese, was ruled by the old King Acrisius. The capital of the Peloponnese, hidden in a small bay, was then called Argos. Narrator: It was a dark time when the world was still dominated by several monsters, by gods and goddesses, by the heroes and heroines, who had to accomplish the most exciting and most dangerous feats ever known to man. The bravest among the heroes at that time was Perseus, the son of the mightiest of the gods, the father of all gods, Zeus. Our story begins right when, in Acrisius’ castle, a very special event was being celebrated. Acrisius: Quiet! Quiet! Everybody, quiet! Listen up! Listen up, people! Well then, we are giving today, this great celebration, for my most beloved daughter Danae, has finally given birth to a heir of the throne. He shall be named…. What's the baby name? Danae: Perseus is the name. Acrisius: Right. Well, so be it. This name of his shall become known about by everybody, and as our custom by tomorrow, I shall start my journey to the oracle in order to have the future of my only grandson and heir foretold. Narrator: '''And that is precisely what he did. You should know that the old King Acrisius was, in fact, very superstitious, much like almost everywhere back then, and he had constantly had his future foretold. Someone mocked him for his obsession, but Acrisius actually believed it, when after a long ride, he finally reached the cave of Talos the seer. He dismounted restlessly and crossed the heavy front door with the heart full of questions. '''Acrisius: Talos? Talos? Talos: Welcome, Acrisius! Do you wish to speak with me, perhaps? Acrisius: Yes, you should know that my daughter, Danae... Talos: Your daughter, Danae, has given you a grandson and a heir. His father is the great Zeus. Acrisius: That's true. Talos: And now you have come to me in order to know what kind of future awaits him. I see marvelous adventures and endless heroic deeds. Your grandson, Perseus, shall become famous well beyond the borders of your kingdom. But, know this. When Perseus will finally become an adult, you will be destined to leave this sad, sad world by his hand. Narrator: What a great scare that was poor King Acrisius! There was only one thing to do. Try to avert destiny. That very same night, he sneaked into the bedroom where his daughter and his grandson were placidly sleeping, took them and locked them into an old moldy case. It was still pitch black when he tied the case up to his horse and he finally set off. Perseus and Danae were thoroughly tossed about so that the journey seemed to take forever, until finally, King Acrisius had stopped. With great heart, the old king discharged the case and dropped it into the river. “Maybe with Zeus’ help, they’ll manage to make it safe and sound to a far-off country and Perseus will never return to kill me!”, Acrisius thought. At the beginning, everything seemed to go just fine. The case was floating in the river, and soon it was driven into the open sea. But, then... Danae: Don't be afraid, Perseus. Your father, Zeus is going to protect us. Zeus: I, Zeus, lord of thunder and lightning, warn you this! Leave my son and his mother in peace! Go! Get out! Narrator: They barely made it. But, everything was finally over, and from that moment, the sea grew much more calmer. Dyctis: Hey, what's there, Cerberus? Dyctis: By Zeus, what a big catch! Don't be impatient! You’ll have to wait until we reach the shore. Narrator: Even Perseus and his mother, Danae, couldn't wait until these two made the shore on Dyctis’ boat, such was their savior’s name. Dyctis: You are so beautiful! Danae: Thank you! Narrator: “I must have gone mad”, Perseus exclaimed. But hey, he was still little, and he could not understand what had just happened. We, on the other hand, know that Dyctis and Danae had fallen in love at first sight. In fact, shortly afterwards, their wedding was celebrated. Perseus, as it was the custom back then, received a proper education and grew to become a strong and clever youth. His greatest admirer, and on top of it, the best friend he could possibly have, was Ajax. Guard: Attention in the name of the king! The presence of Perseus is requested at the throne room! Perseus: Yes, I'm going immediately! Dyctis: Tomorrow, my son, you’re going to celebrate your 16th birthday, and your mother and I have decided that you're old enough to face the world and accomplish your first feats. Countless monsters, dangerous, and strange, dominate this world. Wild giants with bodies like wild horses. Danae: And three-headed men, not to mention the creatures from hell. Dyctis: Well then, which monster do you think you will be able to defeat first, thus getting yourself the right of succession to the throne. Perseus: Well, there's actually one. Danae: So? Dyctis: Carry on. Perseus: I wanted to defeat the snake-headed Medusa and bring her to you as a proof of my bravery. Narrator: The next morning, Perseus has started his journey. The entire court was gathered around as Perseus took leave of his parents. Naturally, his friend Ajax went with him, and off the road happily to the first great adventure. Medusa was the only mortal of the three dreaded sisters called Gorgons. Until now, no human being has dared getting close to them. Ajax: Spill the beans now, what's so terrible about this Medusa? Perseus: You mean I haven't told you yet? Ajax: No, or maybe, I just wasn't paying attention as usual. Perseus: Then, I'll say it again. We must be extremely careful. Whoever stares at Medusa is immediately turned to stone. Ajax: And we should go to her? Perseus: If only I knew it before. Ajax: What a great friend you are! Farmer: Look, two young foreigners! Perseus: Greetings! We are looking for Medusa. Could you show us the way? Farmer: No, but the Graeae can help you. Ajax: Where can we find them? Farmer: Mmm…. go straight ahead, cross the bridge, pass to the gorge, and you'll be right there. Perseus: Thank you! Farmer: Hmm, I’m gonna make a suggestion to you. They only have one tooth and one eye, not each of any one of them, mind you. But all together! Perseus: Zeus must have been in a very bad mood the day he created them! Farmer: The nobles are always nuts. Narrator: Laughingly along, Perseus and Ajax rode along in the suggested direction. And, just like the farmer had said, in a few hours, they reached the narrow Gorge. Perseus: What now? Shall we swim? Ajax: Or, you maybe have a better idea? Perseus: Let's build a raft! Horse: Haven’t you heard? They wanted to build a raft. Donkey: They won't go too far. Horse: With Ajax’s “light weight”, they're going to sink immediately! Perseus: Woo hoo! This is fun! Perseus: Uh oh, a waterfall! Ajax: Brace yourself! Perseus/'Ajax': Zeus, Zeus! Help us! Narrator: In the meantime, darkness had fallen. Like every evening, the three Graeae were sitting in the moonlight outside of their cave. Everyday, one of them would alternately use the eye and then tell the sisters what she had quite seen. Perseus and Ajax had finally survived the adventure at the waterfall, and hidden away, they waited until the girls went to sleep. Finally, the time came. Perseus: Come on! Move, you chicken! Ajax: And now? Perseus: Hey wait, I'm thinking. What if we steal the eye? Ajax: Hmm, sometimes you have some good ideas. Graeae: What’s happened? The eye? Where's the eye? Perseus: Calm down! Looking for it is completely useless! I got it! Graeae: May Hades open for you the gates of hell immediately? Perseus: I propose an exchange. If you tell me how I could get to Medusa, I’ll give it back to you. Graeae: Oh, you unhappy soul! You won’t come back alive after seeing the Gorgons! Perseus: Do you want it back or you don’t? Graeae: You don't know what you are doing! Only the Nymphs can help you! Go on until you reach the sea, that is their home. Perseus: Thank you very much! A tip for the future: keep your eye or carefully. Category:Transcript pages